A Global History of the American Civil War: Revolution and Counterrevolution in the Mississippi Valley

While the biggest, best remembered battles of the Civil War mostly occurred in the East, Union victory actually began in the West, in the states near the Mississippi Valley. There the war took on a revolutionary character by making the end of slavery and the invention of new forms of economic freedom components of military strategy, not just long-term political goals. This lecture explores the international roots of this revolutionary strategy, especially the militant abolitionism of slaves and their allies and the democratic socialism of the European immigrants who formed a large part in some places even the majority – of the Union Army in the West. It will show the central conflict in the history of the United States as more international and more revolutionary than most realize. This is a Charles Jackson annual lecture with guest speaker Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, Professor of History and International Affairs at George Washington University.